Fall 2017

Kari and Brent bought their land in November 2014. They first considered planting either grapes or apples, but felt the land was better suited to growing hops. Kari explained, “we love craft beer, and we decided to start where beer begins and plant hops.” Square One Hop Growers was born shortly thereafter.

Summerland Heritage Cider Company. Photo: Dave Smith Five of BC's orchard cideries talk about their businesses As part of this special Harvest issue, the mighty WB is happy to spotlight BC’s craft cider industry once again. But first: as we did…

Last summer I noticed many new BC craft ciders appearing on the market. My wife isn't particularly fond of beer but enjoys a nice cider, so I ended up purchasing many bottles over the summer and it got me thinking about making some cider of my own. I

My Beer Year would be perfect reading for those thinking of taking the Cicerone or BJCP exam, or like me, have just finished. Even better, I think, would be those in the beer vortex of studying who might be able to convince themselves that this book still qualifies as studying or who just need a break from style guidelines.

Last year we did a really comprehensive tour of the Okanagan and Interior that we documented in a giant 3-part series called Staycation BC. At that point, we had been to most regions of BC for beer. This time we planned to cover the final frontier: Northern BC, home to a string of pearls along Yellowhead Highway 16.

What's Brewing presents its Tasting Panel feature in each quarterly magazine. This round, we decided to take a break from beer. In honour of the fall apple harvest, we proudly present a showcase of some of BC's outstanding craft ciders.

I am always delighted when I hear of a new craft brewery opening up in one of BC’s smaller towns, confirming another place I can go without fearing poor choice in my favourite tipple. However, I am wondering of our readers can beat my tale of possibly the remotest establishment where you can currently buy and consume craft beer in BC.

Chilliwack Hop Farms. Photo credit: D. Smith Late summer is hop harvest season. This is when your favourite brewers grab as many fresh hops as they can get their lupulin-stained hands on to brew a variety of IPAs and other…

Perhaps you've heard that there was a 'Picnic Protest' at Vancouver's English Bay today, organized by CAMRA Vancouver, with the blessing of CAMRA BC (The Campaign For Real Ale Society of British Columbia), called "Beer on the Beach". In CAMRA YVR's latest…

As part of our Harvest Issue coverage, What’s Brewing invited a handful of BC hop growers to answer questions about their operations. Amongst the respondents, we have firms ranging from boutique start-up to Canada’s largest hop business. Here’s what they had to say about their situations, as well as the realities of the BC hop industry.

Erin Dale: Barkerville Brewing Co. The Barkerville Brewing Co is one of our BC breweries steeped in history. It was originally built and opened in Barkerville in 1865 by an Italian immigrant, Nicolas Cunio. During the gold rush period, their…

CAMRA SO at Square One Hop Farms - Photo Credit: Kim Lawton Okanagan Summer Update It was an interesting summer in the Okanagan. First we had floods, then fires, then smoke. Like many locations around the province, people had to change…

Photo credit: Brian K. Smith New Format, New Awards! The 8th Annual BC Beer Awards and Festival is set to return to Vancouver on Saturday, October 21, 2017, from 4–10 p.m., at the Croatian Cultural Centre. The Details When: Saturday, October…

Whenever I go abroad, I like to bring beer from home to share with strangers. Beer is a social lubricant that helps break down barriers and may even open doors to unexpected experiences. At the very least, it gives foreigners an opportunity to learn about our country and culture while tasting a brew that, even today, is rarely seen outside of BC.

Like many people of my generation, my first introduction to cider was the kind that came in two-litre bottles of syrupy, fizzy, boozy stuff. Flash forward 10 years and you’d have to be living under a rock not to have noticed the apple infiltration at craft beverage events.